Annual report 03-03-1987 to 02-03-1988 Arltunga.

Abstract

Mineral claims 40, 54, 55, 60 and 61 cover an area of 100 hectares around the old Wipeout gold workings at Arltunga. They were examined in November-December, 1987 by White Industries Limited under option from G.R. Bohning, E.G. Bohning and I.M. Ashwood. A grid was established and the geology of the claims was mapped in detail, showing three possible hosts to gold mineralisation: (a) a swarm of east to southeast trending white quartz veins, (b) several east-west shear zones, and (c) two narrow shears which trend 010 degrees. Most of these veins and shears occur within east-southeasterly trending tonalitic gneiss of Early Proterozoic age. Fifty five chip channel samples were collected and assayed and 17 costeans were excavated to search for hidden mineralised zones. This work showed that the white quartz veins and east-west shears were almost barren of gold and that only the northerly shears were mineralised. The northerly shears have a maximum width of about a metre. The western shear, on which the Wipeout workings are located, has a mineralised strike length of about 50 metres. The eastern shear is not fully tested but is unlikely to be of sufficient size to warrant mining. Known gold mineralisation on the mineral claims is confined to two narrow northerly trending shears, one on the western side of MC 40, the other on the east. Most gold seems to occur in narrow quartz veins which appear to have been selectively extracted by the early miners and to have yielded around 15 to 20 grams gold per tonne. Average grade over a mining width will be considerably less than this and assays of remnant reef indicate around 4 grams per tonne. The tonnage potential is very small.